Health Briefs: July 23

Wednesday

Jul 23, 2014 at 12:01 AM

From Staff Reports

Dr. David Erickson, has joined the Park Ridge Health team of providers and specialists. As a pediatric hospitalist, Erickson will be caring for patients on Park Ridge Health's 15-bed labor and delivery unit.Erickson, a board-certified pediatrician, has been providing care for 14 years. He is relocating from Bemidji, Minn., where he served about 8,000 patients each year as a pediatrician at Sanford Clinic and provided care in both ambulatory and inpatient settings.Erickson attended medical school at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and completed his pediatrics residency at Oregon Health Sciences University. He is certified in both neonatal resuscitation and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.“Park Ridge Health's environment and culture encourages focused, high-quality medical attention delivered in a very personal way, and I'm excited to be a part of that,” Erickson said.Before enrolling in medical school, Erickson earned his Master of Divinity degree from Luther-Northwestern Theological Seminary and served as a Lutheran minister in Drayton, N.D., for five years. He spends his free time enjoying the outdoors and the company of his wife, Erin, five children and granddaughter.

The following support group meetings and wellness events are scheduled this week at Park Ridge Health:- The Asheville Oncology Educational Group will meet from 1:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday in the conference room of Asheville Hematology/Oncology, 20 Medical Park Drive, Asheville. People in the community undergoing the stresses of cancer treatment, their caregivers and family are welcome. For information or registration, contact Lauren Woodard, Oncology Licensed Social Worker, at 681-2917.- Free cholesterol screening, 8 a.m.-noon Sunday at Mills River Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 2142 Jeffress Road, Mills River. For best results, fast overnight.- PSA screening, 8 a.m.-noon Sunday at Mills River Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 2142 Jeffress Road, Mills River. No appointment required. PSA blood test are for men 50 years of age or older, or age 40 if father or brother has had prostate cancer. $10.- Free bone density screening for men and women, 8 a.m.-noon Sunday at Mills River Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 2142 Jeffress Road, Mills River. Bone density screening for osteoporosis. Wear shoes and socks that are easy to slip off.For more information, call 687-6288 or check www.parkridgehealth.org for upcoming screenings.

Caleb A. Depp, certified registered nurse anesthetist, has joined AllCare Clinical Associates PA.Depp graduated cum laude from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Science in degree in nursing. He received a Master of Science degree in nurse anesthesia from Western Carolina University. Depp has also participated in medical relief mission work in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and in Chad, Africa.Before beginning his nurse anesthesia training, Depp was employed by Mission Hospital as a registered nurse in the neuro-trauma intensive care unit.Certified registered nurse anesthetists are advanced practice registered nurses who are certified to administer anesthesia after completing anesthesia graduate school programs and a national exam.For more information, visit www.allcareclinical.com.

Opportunity House will hold a free seminar on solutions for knee pain, sponsored by DePuy Synthes Joint Reconstruction, from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. today in room 24 of the house, 1411 Asheville Highway, Hendersonville.Dr. Werner C. Brooks will be the speaker. Seats are limited. All attendees receive a free first aid kit. Refreshments will be provided by DePuy Synthes.To RSVP, call 800-256-1146 and mention reservation code 4748F or visit events.jointreplacement.com.

Pardee Signature Care Center will host an event for camping with kids at 6 p.m. Tuesday at 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville.Learn helpful tips including first aid, outdoor ethics, what to look for in a tent, how to keep the insects away, kid-friendly camp foods and interactive activities.Local businesses will join the presentation. Lisa Ronan, from The Chef's Kitchen at Ingles, will provide a cooking demonstration.To register, call 692-4600. Light refreshments will be served.

Pardee physical therapist David Gerrer, PT, COMT, will present an informational class discussing effective control of neck and back pain through the use of physical therapy from 3-4 p.m. Thursday at 1800 Four Seasons Blvd., Hendersonville.Back pain can cause the demands of everyday life to become a struggle. Gerrer will discuss what can be done to prevent common back issues, strengthen the back and learn proper posture.Gerrer is a physical therapist with Pardee Outpatient Rehab & Wellness and specializes in outpatient orthopedics and spine. Joining Gerrer will be Karen Lewis, spine navigator and family nurse practitioner, of the Pardee Spine Center.To register, call 692-4600. Light refreshments will be served.

Blue Ridge Community Health Services is offering a Lunch and Learn from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 30 for those interested in hearing about the history of the organization, learning about community health centers and touring the medical facility.The session will be held in the Education Room on the second floor of the BRCHS medical building, 2579 Chimney Rock Road, Hendersonville.For more information or to RSVP, contact Tanya Burdette at 233-2226 or tburdette@brchs.com.

A “Medicare Choices Made Easy” program will be from 2-4 p.m. Friday at UNC Asheville's Reuter Center.The program will include information from trained volunteers from the North Carolina Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program.Spaces are limited. To make a reservation, call 828-277-8288. For more information, visitolliasheville.com.

For the second year, Southeastern Sports Medicine will bring Western North Carolina medical providers a concussion symposium based on the most current research and updates from North Carolina Athletic Trainers' Association.The event will take place from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Friday at the DoubleTree Hilton, 115 Hendersonville Road, Asheville.The goals of the WNC Concussion and Injury Prevention Symposium are to educate athletic trainers, nurses, physical therapists and other medical providers in Western North Carolina on updated research and current North Carolina standards for high school athletes, and bring more consistency to the local area on the management and treatment of concussions.Breakout sessions will be provided for coaching staff and parents in the community. Coaches will be offered a free CPR/AED certification. The symposium is free for coaches, parents and students. Physicians, physician assistants and nurse assistants will be charged $20, and athletic trainers, nurses, EMTs, paramedics and physical therapists will be charged $10.To register for the WNC Concussion and Injury Prevention Symposium, fill out the online registration form at www.sesportsmed.com/events.html.